Instead, we should bolster default service and further insulate ratepayers from market swings through a consumer-driven agency buying power on behalf of Pennsylvanians.

When 80 percent of ratepayers are not shopping is touted as a success while a move is afoot to force people to shop, consumers should fear for the future.

Commissioner Tyrone Christy's departure from the PUC will leave consumers hard-pressed to find someone willing to stand up to utilities. His was a lonely voice against scattering ratepayer information among electricity marketers.

Meanwhile, House Bill 1294 would grease the PUC rails for rate increases without having to prove the need beforehand. A Marcellus Shale fee proposal would put the PUC in charge of municipal zoning. We might as well clear the decks for the utilities and swallow the "trust the markets" blather. However, The Patriot-News also might hail that as a success.